Item 8 SEDGEFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS - COUNTY MATTERS _______________________________________________________________________ 1. 7/2006/0179/CM APPLICATION DATE: 20 March 2006 PROPOSAL: PROPOSED EASTERN EXTENSION AND RESTORATION TO NATURE CONSERVATION USES LOCATION: THRISLINGTON QUARRY WEST CORNFORTH APPLICANT: Larfarge Aggregates Ltd P.O. Box 36, Retford Road, Workshop, S81 7YU CONSULTATIONS 1. BISH. MID. P.C 2. CORNFORTH P.C. 3. FISHBURN P.C. 4. BUILDING CONTROL 5. ENGINEERS 6. ENV. HEALTH 7. L.PLANS 8. LANDSCAPE ARCH 9. Cllr. A. Hodgson 10. Cllr. M. Predki 11. Cllr. Mr K. Noble 12. Cllr. J. Burton 13. Cllr. T. Ward 14. Countryside Team 15. Rodger Lowe ___________________________________________________________________________ This application is for development by Durham County Council and will therefore be dealt with by the County Council under Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992. The views of the Borough Council have been sought upon the proposal as a consultee. INTRODUCTION Thrislington Quarry is located to the south of West Cornforth and is situation between the C69 to the west and the A1(M) to the east. To the south lies the Thrislington plantation. The quarry is operated by Lafarge Aggregates Ltd who are proposing to extend it east of the A1(M). The planning application is accompanied by a package of documents including an environmental statement assessing the environmental effects of the proposed development. BACKGROUND TO THE PROPOSALS Thrislington Quarry has been operational since the early 1950s, supplying Magnesian or Dolomitic limestone for the steel and chemical industries, together with construction materials Page 41 SEDGEFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS - COUNTY MATTERS _______________________________________________________________________ (aggregates). The Magnesian limestone at the quarry and the proposed eastem extension is very pure, which means that it can be used in kilns at the adjacent Thrislington Works, situated between the C69 and the East Coast Main Line, operated by Steetley Dolomite Limited. The kilns turn the limestone into a material used as a refractory product in steel making. Limestone that does not meet kiln specification is not wasted but is used as a construction material. Mineral extracion at the exisiting quarry has planning permission up to 2015. Lafarge maintain that they need to open the proposed extension as quickly as possible. Should planning permission be granted by the County Council, a range of works would be completed before access to the better quality magnesian limestone can be achieved. One significant aspect of the works would be the creation of a 200m long tunnel under the A1(M) linking the proposed eastem extension to the existing quarry and via the existing subway to Thrislington Works. Thrislington Quarry produces approximately 1.2 million tonnes per year of saleable mineral. The proposed eastem extension would release around 30 million tonnes of mineral over 30 years. An average of 500,000 tonnes per year would be transported through the tunnel for use at Thrislington Works and the ready mixed concrete plant in the main quarry. Around 700,000 tonnes per year of construction materials would leave the site via a new access onto Stobb Cross Lane which links West Cornforth to the A177 at the Hare and Hounds Junction. LOCATION OF THE PROPOSED EASTERN EXTENSION The proposed eastern extension covers approximatley 78 hectares (193 acres) of mainly agricultural land, together with a small area of woodland. It lies to the south of Stobb Cross Lane, with the north-east boundary adjacent to the Hare and Hounds public house and the Cleanaway Depot. The eastern boundary is the lane that meets the A177 at College House and continues in a south westerly direction towards properties at Highland Farm. The boundary then runs westwards to the A1(M), north of the existing mineral extraction operations at Bishop Middleham Quarry. (See site location plan below). Page 42 SEDGEFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS - COUNTY MATTERS _______________________________________________________________________ THE PROPSED DEVELOPMENT Phase 1: Initial Site Works (2 years) The works required during this period would involve the following:- • Advance landscaping following initial excavations and soil and overburdon removal in order to reach the tunnel and provide mounds to screen the site from public view. • Construction of a new road access off Stobb Cross Lane for heavy goods vehicles removing construction materials from the site. • Other site infrastructure including office facilities, weighbridge, sheeting bays and wheelwash to the north of the site. Phase 2: Tunnel Completion (1year) • The first phase of extraction of the better quality limestone • The construction of the tunnel under the A1(M) linking the main quarry and Thrislington Works to the eastern extension. • Minerals extraction. Phases 3 to 7: Quarry Development (Approximately 29 years) • Minerals extraction starting in the north west corner and progressing to the east and south. • Progressive restoration throughout the minerals extraction period when soils and overburden would be removed and used to establish the final landform restoration. Lafarge proposes to focus the restoration of the eastern extension on nature conservation uses, particulaly the creation of magnesian limestone grassland, to provide for the establishment of a range of habitats and to compliment the restoration proposals for the existing quarry. Lafarge has managed the existing grassland at Thrislington Plantation in association with English Nature (now Natural England) for over 20 years. The plantation is a National Nature Reserve, a Site of Special Scientific Interest and has recently been designated a Special Area of Conservation. The restoration for the proposed eastern extension would include:- • 38 hectares of magnesian limestone grassland; • 22 hectares of woodland and scrub planting; • A water body covering approximately 16 hectares; and • 2 hectares of marginal planting around the water body. PLANNING POLICY The proposed eastern extension is allocated in the County Durham Minerals Local Plan for the extraction of Magnesium limestone. THE ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT ASSESSMENT A summary of the findings of the Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) are as follows:- Water Management Where quarrying extends below the water table, groundwater flow, direction and levels can be affected. The proposed eastern extension would be developed within a site that is sensitive to quarrying effects, known as a major aquifer. The geology of the application site means that there are 3 aquifers; one in the limestone, one in the sands below the limestone and one in the Page 43 SEDGEFIELD BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS - COUNTY MATTERS _______________________________________________________________________ coal below that. There is also a public water supply abstraction point known as Waterloo that needs to be considered. Without proper controls the development could result in quantitative and qualitative effects on these aquifers and the abstraction. Lafarge, in consultation with the Environment Agency, has investigated options for water management during the proposed works. The objective would be to return water collected in the base of the quarry to the local aquifers. The Environmental Statement proposes measures to minimise the risk of pollution covering the storage of fuels and other potential pollutants as well as keeping plant and machinery well maintained. Nature conservation The eastern extension is not covered by any nature conservation designations and is itself of low nature conservation interest. Lafarge maintain that the proposed works would have no signficant effect on the nearby Thrislington Plantation or the Bishop Middleham site of special scientific interest. Cultural Heritage There are no designated cultural heritage features within 1km of the proposed eastern extension. Landscape and Visual Effects The proposed eastern extension is not designated for this landscape value nor is it close to designated areas and the quality of much of the landscape within the application site is considered low. The site is crossed by a designated public right of way which does not appear to be well used as it does not form part of the wider network. It is proposed to permanently divert this right of way around the western and southern boundaries of the site. The quarry design has paid particular attention to the view obtained by people who may use the diverted and new public rights of way, motorists and passengers on the A1(M) and Stobb Cross Lane, residents at the properties around Highland Farm and the Hare and Hounds public house and other nearby properties. Mitigation proposals in the form of bunds and earth mounds together with planting have been designed to minimise views from the locations. Noise The assessment has demonstrated that there would be no significant noise effects on a result of the proposed works. Blasting and Vibration The site geology means that the quarrying would be carried out by blasting. This breaks up the rock and piles it on the quarry floors so that it can be excavated more easily. The assessment concludes that there would be no significant environmental effects and that blasts would meet the relevant standards. Air Quality The assessment concluded that whilst there is potential for a small decrease in local air quality, it is unlikely to be significant. Traffic and Highways